Chemical Constituents of Kava Kava

Kavalactones have been deemed the primary active compounds in Kava Kava based on detailed scientific investigations over the past 110 years. Kavalactones have been shown to be quite effective in treating anxiety and depression. A recent double-blind study had fifty-eight patients who were suffering from anxiety that received either 100mg of Kava Kava extract or a placebo three times daily for four weeks. The group that took the Kava Kava extract showed significant improvements in several psychological assessments. Symptoms of anxiety, such as nervousness, heart palpitations, chest pains, headache, dizziness, and feelings of gastric elimination were either completely eliminated or greatly reduced. The most amazing part of this study is that this was achieved without side effects.

Kavalactones appear to act primarily on the limbic system-an ancient part of the brain that affects all other brain activities and is the principal seat of the emotions. It is thought that the kavalactones promote sleep by altering the way in which the limbic system modulates emotional processes. It appears that many of the laboratory models used to identify how a substance provides a calming effect are simply not sophisticated enough to evaluate the kavalactones fully.

Kavalactones also may protect the brain against damage due to ischemia, a condition in which there is not enough oxygen-rich blood supplied to the brain. The effectiveness of the kavalactones is said to be due to their ability to limit the area affected by necrosis as a result of the reduction of the blood supply.

Another chemical constituent of Kava Kava is Kawain. According to James Duke’s web-site, Kawain has quite a long list of medicinal actions, including: anesthetic, anti-convulsant, anti-dote, anti-imflammatory, anti-septic, anti-spasmodic, fungicide, myorelaxant, sedative, and tranquilizer. Piper methysticum is listed as the plant species with the highest amount of Kawain in it.
Piper methysticum is also listed as being the plant species with the highest amount of methysticin in it. This is also an anesthetic, anti-convulsant, anti-dote, anti-imflammatory, anti-spasmodic, myorelaxant. In addition, it is also neuroprotective. Yangonin, which is also highest in piper methysticum, is also anesthetic, anti-imflammatory, anti-spasmodic and myorelxant. In addition, yangonin is also anti-bacterial. There seems to be a lot more going on inside of Kava Kava than just relaxant activities.

A couple of important constituents in Kava Kava are dihydrokavain and dihydromethysticin. These constituents have analgesic effectiveness comparable to that of aspirin. Although Kava Kava has been described as a narcotic, it is non-addictive. In addition, unlike aspirin, Kava Kava does not cause ulcers.